34 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS & RECREATION | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | Best Idea for Civic Center Park Pause the Renovation Look, we understand that Civic Center Park has seen some ugly times and that it’s due for an upgrade...at some point. The plans even look interesting. But is 2026 the year for this? Do we really want to tear up the park inspired by the City Beautiful movement — Denver’s fi rst National His- toric Landmark — at the same time that Colorado is celebrating its 150th anniver- sary? Why not postpone a year and let the people celebrate in the heart of the state’s capital, just down the hill from the Capitol? Best Solution for East Colfax Avenue Shop There! We’ve been assured that it’s too late to stop the $280 million (the feds kicked in $150 million) Bus Rapid Tran- sit project that’s supposed to transform East Colfax Avenue… and is screwing over businesses in the meantime by removing parking and blocking easy ac- cess. So for now, while those businesses await grants that could be too little, too late, there’s only one way to aid them: Shop there! Get there by foot, bike or fl ying car, but get there and patronize the mom-and-pop stores that give this city so much character. And don’t miss the Colfax Bar Crawl on April 12! Best New Name for the 16th Street Mall Sixteenth Street Our long nightmare will fi- nally end this fall, when the last blocks of the 16th Street Mall renovation project will be completed. Yes, that’s reason to celebrate, but it’s no reason to change the name of that mile-long-plus stretch through the heart of downtown. While malls have gone the way of For- ever 21 and the city has spent $100,000 to come up with a new name, there’s already a perfectly serviceable one. Forget any cute branding: Just drop the “mall” and leave it at Sixteenth. Sweet! Best Place to Vote in Colorado Your Home Colorado was one of the fi rst states to adopt mail-in voting, back in 2013, and despite all the controversy over the last dozen years, this state remains the “gold standard,” with strong participation in the political process and none of the shenanigans suggested by election deniers. If you’re registered to vote, you’ll get a ballot at the mailing ad- dress on your registration; you can even track the progress of your ballot from your kitchen table to the count! To check on your status, go to govotecolorado.gov. Best Music Video by a Government Entity “I Water That Way” Denver Water denverwater.org Think bureaucrats are all wet? Think again. Last summer, musical members of the Denver Water team joined together as the Splashstreet Boys, recording “I Water That Way” (a variation on the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”) to promote proper summer watering rules...and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house once it hit the web. A sampling of the lyrics: Yeah...my yard needs water when it gets hotter Believe these dry days that I water that way But we want lawns to survive Concrete just won’t fl y So I say, I water that way... Best New Name for an Old Colorado Concept ColoradoScaping Denver Water denverwater.org Travel back in time with us to those days when Earth Day was just a sprout and Den- ver Water coined the term “xeriscaping” to describe a landscaping philosophy that focuses on decreasing the need for irriga- tion by using plants suited to the climate (and often a lot of rocks). But what’s old be- came new again last year, when the agency gave the concept an update, renaming what some critics had dubbed “zero-scaping” to give Colorado’s image a green sheen. Best Old Building El Jebel 1770 Sherman Street 720-710-0992 npu.co/venue/el-jebel The El Jebel building in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood, known for its onion-shaped turret-toppers, was reimagined in 2024 by Non Plus Ultra, a company that makes use of historic buildings caught in the tricky space between preservation and disuse. NPU fi xed up the plumbing and restored many of the building’s original features. Now the giant space, with a ballroom, re- ception rooms, coat-check spaces and the oldest working elevator in Colorado, can be rented for a variety of events. We’re glad more people get to experience El Jebel’s history and gorgeous design. Best New Building The Populus 240 14th Street 303-800-4240 populusdenver.com Like many people, we had reservations about the new hotel going up in a sliver of a lot off Colfax Avenue just past Civic Cen- ter Park. We called it the Cheese Grater; we compared its exterior to half-shut eyelids. But since the Populus opened last fall, we’ve become converts. Although we still wonder about the health of those trees planted in Colorado to offset the project’s carbon footprint, we have no concerns about its cool eateries, sustainable prac- tices and fabulous views — particularly of the City and County Building all lit up for the holidays. Time magazine just named it one of the 25 Great Places to stay or visit, and we’ll second that. Best Place to Park in Cherry Creek Clayton Hotel Denver 233 Clayton Street 303-551-1600 claytondenver.com Having trouble fi nding parking in Cherry Creek? Frustrated by those weird park- ing monitors? Join the club! The Clay- ton Members Club, that is. You’re going to have to meet some eligibility require- ments, but once you’ve passed muster (largely economic), you’ll have access to special amenities that include discounts at the Michelin-rated hotel, a co-working lounge, access to a special Members Par- lor Restaurant (though the other Clayton restaurants are top-notch) and parking! Let the Clayton put you in the driver’s seat. Best New Highway On-Ramp Southbound I-25 from Broadway denvergov.org Just when you thought a single construc- tion project on Broadway would never be completed, the new southbound on-ramp to I-25 from Broadway was suddenly fi nished... ahead of schedule and against all expecta- tions. The new exit is a true pleasure, too, and not just because it replaced the hellish tempo- rary route along with the archaic original that relied on a left turn against traffi c. No, this new exit is all smooth, banked curves and easy merging onto I-25. Just don’t miss the tiny sign and quick right turn off South Broadway. Best Free Parking Near Denver International Airport Peña Station NEXT penastationnext.com The property surrounding the light rail station at East 61st Avenue and Peña Boulevard is project-ready, with plenty of plans online and newly paved streets, but there’s no actual de- velopment in sight. This leaves free parking spots for blocks and blocks…if you dare. Leave your car parked by the curb and hop on the A Line for Denver Inter- national Airport. Besides the free (if illegal) parking, you’re getting a free ride on the train: There’s no charge if you’re only going one stop. Best Way to Get a Visit From a State Trooper Colorado State Patrol Outreach Program 700 Kipling Street, Lakewood 303 239-4500 csp.colorado.gov/community-outreach For 89 years, the Colorado State Patrol has been a resource for safety on the road. To- day the agency is responsible for the safe transport of hazardous materials, while the Investigative Services Section plays a lead- ing role in chasing down auto-theft crimes such as chop shops; dogs on the Narcot- ics Detection Canine Team are trained to find narcotics, currency or weapons on the highways; and the Executive Security division provides security for the gover- nor and other state offi cials. But ordinary folks can simply request a trooper for a talk at their workplace or a community event on subjects such as continued on page 37 s h o p p i n g & s e r v i c e s ILLUSTRATIONS BY GETT Y IMAGES/DENIS NOVIKOV
